By Amanda Cowan

 When another person steals your information and uses it to commit fraud or other crimes  The information stolen can be:  Credit Card information  Social Security Number  Name  Etc.

 An identity thief can ruin your good credit and your good name  As a result you could get denied ▪ Loans ▪ Educational, Home, or Car ▪ Job Opportunities ▪ Most employers check your credit before hiring you  Some people are also arrested for crimes they have never committed

 Around 9 million Americans have their identity stolen each year  Many do not notice until they check their credit report, get a credit card statement, or in some cases are contacted by a debt collector or law enforcement officer

 Social engineers (Someone who can get someone else to do something they wouldn’t normally do for a stranger) sometimes skip trying to fool you and go straight to the source  Banks, credit card companies, the DMV, etc. have all been fooled by these social engineers, into giving away important information that hurts you  It happens more than you think!

 Dumpster diving  Going through the trash to collect bills, letters, etc that have your personal information on them  Skimming  Thieves will use a special device to store your credit card information after scanning it  Phishing  Pretending to be institutions via or pop up messages so that you reveal your personal information  Address changes  Thieves will change your address so they get the bills instead of you…its harder for you to catch on that way  Stealing  Sometimes they get your information just by pick pocketing you.  Pretexting  Pretending to be someone else to fool financial institutions, credit card companies, etc for information on you

 Check your credit report EVERY year  You can do this once a year for free from the federal government  Go the this website:  It is the ONLY website that is supported by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)  SHRED the important documents that you no longer want

 Be careful with EVERY you receive  For example look carefully at every sender. Instead of Paypal.com sending you an , it may actually say Paypa1.com, which at first glance can fool you  Carefully examine your credit card/bank statements  Keep a close eye on your wallet or pocket  Be knowledgeable and take action!

 Check your credit report immediately  If your credit has been stolen  File a police report  File a complaint with the FTC ▪ ng-a-report.html ng-a-report.html  Notify your creditors  Dispute EVERY transaction you did not do yourself  Keep very detailed records of everything you do as you fight the theft

 These Four Steps are recommended by the FTC if your identity has been stolen.  Put a fraud alert on your credit reports ▪ This can run from 90 days to 7 years  Close the accounts that have been or you suspect have been stolen  File a complaint with the FTC  File a complaint with your local police or the police where it occurred

 Keep detailed records on your own  By law, a business/company must give you a copy of the application or transaction record  With this you can prove your signature isn’t a match, or provide the police with a document that could potentially identity the culprit

TThe process to fighting identity theft can be long. KKeep fighting as long as it takes to regain your footing after the theft TTell your friends so that the same thing doesn’t happen to them.

 The FTCs website has very detailed steps for you to follow  It contains phone numbers and websites for you to visit to make sure all the steps are completed  If you need assistance or help, contact the FTC

 t/consumers/about-identity-theft.html t/consumers/about-identity-theft.html  The Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick